Lessons from Grandma

On June 21, 2015, my grandmother passed away.  It was Father's Day and Grandpa wanted her home with him.  I am happy that he was able to have her back by his side.  What a wonderful gift for both of them.

Are they adorable or what?

She was also reunited with her parents, grandparents, a brother who passed away when he was five, and many more people who were anxiously waiting for her arrival.

This makes me happy.

Grandma, her brother, Dean, and her sister, Lois

Here is what makes me sad.

I am going to miss her. :(

Me and my grandma

She has taught me a lot in the 37 years I have known her.  (Is it sad that I just had to pull out a calculator to check my math on how old I am?)  Anyway, I have always loved this lady, but have been very fortunate over the last few years to get to know her on a different level.  She was, is, and will always be my grandma.  She will also always be my friend.

As I have been sorting through pictures, I have been reminded of some of the wonderful life lessons that I have learned from her...

1.  A little spunk goes a long way. 

 Especially when that spunk shuts off your pacemaker.

Grandma has always been full of spunk.  You didn't mess with her.  A little while ago when her doctor said that she needed a new battery in her pacemaker, she wanted to make sure that if they replaced it, the pacemaker would not keep her alive if the rest of her body started shutting down.  

Well, as of Saturday, June 20th, the pacemaker and oxygen were the only things keeping her here.  But she would have none of that and in the early morning hours of Father's Day, she quietly slipped away, willing the pacemaker to stop.  The nurses were shocked.  We were not.  It's called Spunk.  Spunk and Determination.

2.  It's always good to make sure that you are having a good time.  Life is too short not to.

Grandma never failed to make me laugh.  She always had a good story, or two, or three.  She loved to laugh and was not afraid of being a little silly.  I think I inherited those qualities from her.

3.  It's never too late to turn to the Savior.

After my grandpa passed away in 2009, my grandma had some very wonderful experiences that helped her to know that she needed to go to the temple.  She has always had a testimony of the Savior.  She has always believed that she is a daughter of God.  When she was 80 years old, she went to the temple to be sealed to her eternal companion and sweetheart forever.

It is never too late to devote yourself to God.

4.  Family is everything. 

I am pretty sure that this was the last time our whole family was together.  My grandma loves her family so much.  She loved to talk about them.  She loved to talk with them.  She loved to be with them.  We all have an empty space in our hearts and are going to miss her so much.

Her passing is very bittersweet.  I am going to miss our Grandma lunches.  I will miss having her come to celebrate birthdays and holidays.  Mostly I will just miss her beautiful smile and infectious laugh.

But I know that she is happy, and that makes me happy.

Love you Grandma.  Until we meet again.  xoxo